The Japan Patent Office (JPO) provides professional English translations of trial/appeal decisions, decisions on oppositions, and Hantei (advisory opinions on the scope of industrial property rights) categorized by type, field, or other attributes of a case that help in the understanding of the law and its operation, for the purpose of improving and enhancing the international reach and quality of information provided on industrial property rights applicable in Japan. Read the JPO’s monthly Trial Decisions & Opinions In English. Indeed, there are important IP rights learning from reading JPO decisions – being able to do so in professionally translated documents is exceptionally convenient.
Kimura & Partners writes regularly on notable updates to Japanese IP law. Our focus is on Patent and Trademark law of relevance to the global SME market seeking strong IP protection in Japan. We also have a long history of supporting Japanese SMEs in Japan, and globally, using our unique approach to client relationships and “fighting on the IP Battlefield”.
Depending on your business, inventions status and strategy, perhaps only certain trial decisions or advisory opinions will be informative to you. As for legal and patent professions, reading such materials may contribute to your area-of-practice knowledge, or simply add to your overall understanding of Japanese IP law and JPO workings.
As Patent Attorneys, we find such information fascinating to read and highly informative to our body of knowledge in assisting domestic and foreign companies. The volume of such published deacons is massive, so please be selective. However, please enjoy reading these decisions and opinions.
October (and all prior months in reverse chronology) are available here
The English Decisions Database provides Abstracts and full decision PDFs
Examples
October
Patents and Utility Models. 5 Appeals. 2 Invalidations. 1 Opposition.
Trademarks. 1 Appeal.
September
Patents and Utility Models. 13 Appeals. 3 Oppositions.
Designs. 2 Appeals
Trademarks. 1 Appeal. 1 Opposition
Read the JPO’s monthly Trial Decisions & Opinions In English.
